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Key Messages Matrix
Top-Line Messages
Arthritis Prevalence & Impact
- — 46 million Americans suffer from nearly 100 different forms of arthritis.
- — Arthritis costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars in costs of care and productivity loss.
- — The blue CDC/AF wheel located in the pocket of this tool kit has your state-specific numbers of adults with arthritis. Look your state up and use this number as often as you can. On page 91, the USA Today article contains state specific numbers for children. Again, use this number as often as you can. As Tip O’Neil said, “All politics is local.”
- — Arthritis affects people of all ages, including nearly 300,000 children.
- — Arthritis is the second most-reported chronic condition in the United States
Arthritis Prevention and Control Act
- — To address this major public health problem, Congress introduced the Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act (S. 626/H.R. 1283).
- — The Arthritis Foundation urges the House Energy and Commerce and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees to pass S. 626/H.R. 1283.
CDC Initiatives Funding
- — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's arthritis program implements proven strategies that can help reduce the arthritis burden and reach more people with arthritis in as many states as possible in Fiscal Year 2009.
- — The Arthritis Foundation urges Congress to make a critical investment of $23 million ($10 million over FY ‘08) in CDC’s arthritis program.
NIH Research Funding
- — An increased public investment in biomedical research holds real promise of improving the lives of millions of Americans with arthritis.
- — The Arthritis Foundation requests Congress provide a $1.9 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health in the Fiscal Year 2009 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill.
Top-Line Messages with Proof Points
Arthritis Prevalence & Impact
- — 46 million Americans suffer from nearly 100 different forms of arthritis.
- This number is expected to reach 67 million by the year 2030
- — Arthritis costs the U.S. economy millions of dollars in costs of care and productivity loss.
- Arthritis costs the U.S. economy $128 billion in 2003
- 40% of arthritis sufferers in the U.S. have work limitations; this is more frequent than cancer, heart disease or diabetes.
- Arthritis causes 744,000 hospitalizations and 36 million ambulatory visits each year
- — Arthritis affects people of all ages, including nearly 300,000 children.
- 66% of the people with doctor-diagnosed arthritis are under the age of 65
- — Arthritis is the second most-reported chronic condition in the U.S.
- 21% of adults report having doctor-diagnosed arthritis
- 80% of adults report either having or know someone with arthritis
Arthritis Prevention, Control & Cure Act
- — To address this major public health problem, Congress introduced the Arthritis Prevention, Control, and Cure Act (S. 626/H.R. 1283). The legislation would:
- Strengthen arthritis public health initiatives, allowing more people to be diagnosed early and minimize or delay pain and permanent disability;
- Expand the reach of evidence-based self-management activities such as weight control and physical activity, which have been proven to reduce pain and reduce health care expenditures;
- Ensure limited federal funding for arthritis is used in the most strategic manner through formation of a federal interagency coordinating committee; and
- Authorize a remedy to address the country’s severe shortage of pediatric rheumatologists.
- — The Arthritis Foundation urges the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees to pass S. 626/H.R. 1283.
CDC Initiatives Funding
- — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention arthritis program implements proven strategies that can help reduce the arthritis burden and reach more people with arthritis in as many states as possible in Fiscal Year 2009.
- Over the past five years, 36 state health departments have successfully used CDC funding to increase public awareness of the burden of arthritis and increase the availability of proven interventions..
- These interventions are recognized by the CDC to reduce health care expenditures.
- A CDC-convened expert panel recommended states receive larger grants to be more effective.
- — Twenty-four states have lost CDC support for their arthritis programs unless Congress increases funding. The Arthritis Foundation urges Congress to make a critical investment of $23 million ($10 million over FY ‘08) in CDC’s arthritis program which represents just 50 cents per American with arthritis.
NIH Research Funding
- — An increased public investment in biomedical research holds the real promise of improving the lives of millions of Americans with arthritis.
- This investment will reduce the burden of arthritis on the U.S. economy with less missed work days, disability payments, and expensive surgical interventions.
- Research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Arthritis Foundation has produced a revolutionary class of biological therapies that alleviate painful inflammation and prevent disability for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
- While these advances have significantly changed the lives of Americans living with arthritis, there is still no cure for the disease, and its prevalence and impact continue to grow.
- With continued and increased investment in research, the Arthritis Foundation believes a cure is on the horizon.
- — The Arthritis Foundation requests Congress provide a $1.9 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health in the Fiscal Year 2009 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill.
Additionally, the Arthritis Foundation supports the establishment of a national data collection system to ensure that the safety and effectiveness of new arthritis treatments, especially in the case of childhood arthritis and encourages NIH to support a strong national network of cooperating clinical centers dedicated to the care and study of children with arthritis.
